Search This Blog

Subscribe to this blog

Sign up for email updates!

Nail Polish Fun Facts

The ingredients included beeswax, egg whites, gelatin, and
vegetable dyes.

In Ancient Egypt, nail polish was even used to signify class
rankings: The lower class often wore nude and light colors, while high society
painted their nails red.

2. The
invention of the car spurred the creation of the first modern-day nail polish.

Inspired by automobile paint, a completely colorless version was
introduced in 1916. Revlon
became the first established nail polish brand in 1932 when they released a
cream color.

3. Essie
currently sells 300 colors of nail polish as well as nail decals and base and
top coats.

You can even buy them in vending machines in airports.

4. Acrylic
nails were introduced in 1978.

During the Ming Dynasty of China, noblewomen wore very long artificial
nails as a status symbol indicating that, unlike commoners, they did not have
to do manual labor.

In the early 19th century in Greece, many upper-class women wore
empty pistachio shells over their nails, slowly spreading the artificial nail
trend across Europe.

In 1954, Fred Slack, a dentist, broke his fingernail at work,
and invented the first artificial nail as a realistic-looking temporary
replacement. After experiments with different materials to perfect his
invention, he and his brother, Tom, patented a successful version and started
the company Patti Nails.

5. In 1934,
a bottle of Cutex nail polish cost 35 cents.

It was only available in three shades of red.

6. Most
expensive nail polish costs $250,000.

The color, Black Diamond King, is made by Azature and has 267
carats worth of black diamonds. (Clickhere for a less expensive version)

7. In 2012,
nail polish sales reached $768 million.

This was a 32% increase over 2011, and was probably due to a
rise in nail art mania.

8. Actress
Rita Hayworth popularized red nail polish.

After the introduction of Technicolor, Rita's bold nails
launched a polish movement.

Years later, Uma Thurman would start a new trend of
vamp-colored nails, thanks to her role in Pulp Fiction.